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Prime Minister Tony Blair is said to have put aside his opposition to the election of House of Lords legislators after long arguments in the cabinet. As a result the Labour Party election manifesto includes a commitment to a free vote on the composition of that chamber. It is likely that this will eventually lead to the election of the majority of the legislators.

Other promised reforms include the removal of the remaining 92 hereditary legislators-for-life, a limit of 60 days on the time for which the Lords can delay legislation passed by the House of Commons and a ban on Lords blocking manifesto commitments.

Tory legislators-for-life are expected to be ferocious in their resistance to the democratisation of the Lords.

06:46 PM | | (0) | (0)

The Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph newspapers have refused to run advertisements placed by Republic, Britain’s largest republican group. The advert called for the right to appoint the head of state to be taken from the Windsor family and given to the people through elections. The Telegraph told The Guardian newspaper that such adverts were "inappropriate". These bans seem to indicate a new level of nervousness by supporters of the feudal institution.

This censorship by two conservative newspapers is a part of the systematic discrimination against republicans in Britain. For many year the BBC state broadcaster allowed no access for republican ideas while consistently supporting feudal institutions and ideas. Republicans are still banned from parliament.

10:29 AM | | (0) | (0)

Charles Windsor, heir to the position of head of state, has been borrowing money from the Duchy of Cornwall and failing to pay it back, according to a report in The Guardian. The newspaper reported that as much as £1.2m had probably been spent on renovations at one of Mr. Windsor’s houses, extra personal staff and handouts for his wife to be and sons.

Although Windsor is given the income from the Duchy, around £12m a year currently, he is not supposed to have access to its capital. A 1980 act of parliament does allow the capital account to lend to the revenue account, however. It is this loophole that Windsor has taken advantage of to boost his income.

The accounting practice was first brought to public attention by MPs in February, referring to the practice as a "fiddle". The Windsor family refused to disclose the amount involved until The Guardian forced its hand with a Freedom of Information Act application. As a result the Treasury has acted to reduce the amount that may be borrowed to £600,000 by 2007.

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The Church of England achieved a 13.6% return on its investments in 2004. The record of its investment fund over the last ten years put it in second place out of more than 1000 such funds.

According to the Financial Times these profits resulted from heavy investment in commercial and residential property. The state church has beat the average pension fund by 3.2% a year over the last decade.

The fund is managed by the Church Commissioners who include the prime minister and home secretary. It produces a sixth of the state church’s income.

The church’s members in the UK are largely nominal and give insignificant financial support.

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